Novel Antileukemic Compound Ingenol 3-Angelate Inhibits T Cell Apoptosis by Activating Protein Kinase Cθ

Members of the protein kinase C (PKC) family of serine-threonine kinases are important regulators of immune cell survival. Ingenol 3-angelate (PEP005) activates a broad range of PKC isoforms and induces apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia cells by activating the PKC isoform PKCδ. We show here that, in contrast to its effect on leukemic cells, PEP005 provides a strong survival signal to resting and activated human T cells. The antiapoptotic effect depends upon the activation of PKCθ. This PKC isoform is expressed in T cells but is absent in myeloid cells. Further studies of the mechanism involved in this process showed that PEP005 inhibited activated CD8+ T cell apoptosis through the activation of NFκB downstream of PKCθ, leading to increased expression of the antiapoptotic proteins Mcl-1 and Bcl-xL. Transfection of CD8+ T cells with dominant-negative PKCθ diminished the prosurvival effect of PEP005 significantly. Ectopic expression of PKCθ in the acute myeloid leukemia cell line NB4 turned their response to PEP005 from an increased to decreased rate of apoptosis. Therefore, in contrast to myeloid leukemia cells, PEP005 provides a strong survival signal to T cells, and the expression of functional PKCθ influences whether PKC activation leads to an anti- or proapoptotic outcome in the cell types tested.